


A Tale of Four Siblings

by Miamouse



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Big Brother Papyrus, Big Brother Sans, Bullying, Childhood Trauma, Gen, Magic, Mentors, Orphans, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Prejudice, Undertale Monsters on the Surface
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 02:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15330171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miamouse/pseuds/Miamouse
Summary: It's been 5 years since monsters came to the surface. There was a bit of a panic at first, but things have died down. Some people have accepted monsters. A lot of people haven't. Sam and Poppy are part of the exception. Thanks to the wishes of their late parents.Sans and Papyrus are enjoying life on the surface, even if there were a few snags in the beginning. One fateful day they run into a pair of human girls who are oddly familar. It doesn't take long for the two brothers to see the sisters as family. They just have to convince Sam and Poppy.





	1. It's a Beautiful Day Outside

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! you might know me as someone who does undertale comic dubs on youtube...you might not. BUT i do art and write things of my own as well! I finally got the courage to post my stuff here. I don't really know if it's good or not but i decided i don't care! I'm having fun and that's what's important. and if it is good, then i definitely have to share it with people so they can enjoy it too! if it is bad, that means i need feedback to improve. Let me know what you think! good or bad, I'd like to know!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. A perfect day to....get up and go to school. ;)

“SAM, GET UP! C’MON YOU LAZYBONES! WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!”  
  
Sam glanced at the time on her phone. The alarm she set on it wasn’t due to go off for another five minutes. Her sister just liked to be early. But according to Poppy, if someone wasn’t at least five minutes early, they were late. According to Sam, as long as you showed up and didn’t miss anything important, you were never late. But Sam liked to follow Poppy’s lead. That generally kept them both out of trouble.  
  
With a great amount of effort, Sam rolled out of bed and reached for the clothes in her hamper. She knew these ones were clean; all the dirty clothes were on the floor. She frowned as she picked up a heavily wrinkled shirt. She really should have listened to Poppy when she told Sam to hang up her clothes right away, but one thing lead to another and she forgot all about it. Now more clothes populated the floor than the basket.  
  
She sighed and pulled it over her head. It’s not like anyone would see it anyway under the hoodie she always wore. As for pants, she felt like today was a good day for black skinny jeans, so on they went. Next, she picked out a couple of clean socks, never mind if they were a pair. They would be in her shoes all day so who would even notice? She shoved her pink sneakers on her feet without bothering to untie them. If the shoe fits, then you should only have to tie it once. That was how the saying went, right? And just like that, she was dressed. Over halfway to being ready, and her alarm hadn’t even gone off yet. Not bad for a lazybones!  
  
Next, she brushed her teeth, washed her face and brushed her hair. She looked herself over in the mirror. She looked decent. Her blue eyes were almost kinda pretty if she didn’t have those bags under them from lack of sleep. Her light brown hair wasn’t too frizzy today, and her face only had one or two smallish zits. She flashed her smile, which was arguably her best feature. Now there was something she could be proud of! Perfectly straight pearly whites shown out at her. That was one of the few things in her life that kept her smiling.  
  
Satisfied with her appearance, she shuffled down the hall into the kitchen where her sister was making…”BREAKFAST!!” Poppy called.  
  
By the smell of things, it was the usual: oatmeal made with mystery toppings. Today it seemed like she went with peanut butter and strawberries. Not bad, it actually had kind of a pb and j feel. A bit sticky, but edible. Much better than yesterday’s mustard and ketchup. Good with corn dogs? Absolutely. Good with oatmeal? Absolutely not. Poppy enjoyed experimenting with new flavors and it was a bit of a hit or a miss. Today was definitely a hit after a series of misses, so Sam made sure her sister got the feedback this dish deserved, “Really great, Poppy! This one is a winner!”  
  
“YOU REALLY THINK SO? YOU’RE NOT JUST SAYING THAT?”  
  
“Oh, absolutely Poppy. I kinda want to take some with me for lunch, except it would be cold by then.” Poppy’s eyes sparkled. When it came to compliments, it was really easy to keep her happy.  
  
“OH, DON’T WORRY ABOUT LUNCH, SIS. I’VE ALREADY GOTTEN THAT TAKEN CARE OF!” Poppy declared proudly. Sam’s smile became a little strained as she thought about her mystery lunch. She hoped Poppy didn’t notice.  
  
‘Maybe this one will be edible. Who knows? This one might even be good,’ she thought, trying not to shudder at the thought of yesterday’s “lunch.”  
  
“Awe, sis! You didn’t have to…” Sam started.  
  
“I KNOW, THAT’S WHAT MAKES ME SO GREAT!” Poppy beamed.  
  
Sam sighed and smiled. That was her sister, always so blissfully positive. You just couldn’t hate her, no matter how questionable her dishes were. Well, at least Grandma made the dinners, so she wouldn’t starve.  
  
Up until two years ago, their dad made breakfast and packed the lunches and their mom cooked dinner. They had a good thing going and everything was pretty normal...until…. Sam’s eyes darkened just thinking of thinking about what happened to her parents. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away. Today was promising to be a decent day! Thoughts that belonged in the past were not going to ruin it! The sun was shining, the birds were singing. It was going to be a good day. “Alright sis, let’s get outta here. We’ve got some learnin’ to do,” Sam said.  
  
Poppy smiled at her sister’s good attitude, “THAT’S THE SPIRIT, SIS!” and they walked out to greet the day.  
  
***  
  
Sans inhaled the fresh air through his nose hole and soaked up the morning sun. Was he ever going to get used to the beauty of the surface? Probably not. It had been five whole years since they’d been freed from the underground, yet it still didn’t feel real. Like it was too good to be true and he would wake up from this beautiful dream at any moment.  
  
“OH! SANS! WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE TO SEE YOU UP SO EARLY! ENJOYING THE SUNRISE?” Sans gave his brother a tired but peaceful smile. Papyrus’ enthusiasm never ceased to amaze him.  
  
“yeah. i still can’t get over all the colors. it’s new and different every day! the underground had its nice spots, but nothing ever changed. on the surface, everything changes, all the time,” Sans said. The brothers sat there for a long moment, taking it in. After a few minutes, Sans was satisfied and turned to go back inside, intending to go back to sleep.  
  
“WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? THE DAY IS SO BEAUTIFUL! DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE GOING BACK TO SLEEP?! I WAS HOPING WE COULD SPEND THE MORNING TOGETHER!” Sans stopped in his tracks and turned to face his brother, feeling slightly guilty. That is exactly what he was trying to avoid. As much as he loved spending time with Paps, morning time was exercise time for Papyrus. And exercise time was a bad time for Sans. But one look at Pap’s face and he knew he couldn’t say ‘no.’  
  
He sighed, “Well, that was the plan, but if you wanna do something together, i guess we could go for a walk?” Sans suggested, hoping to avoid more vigorous forms of exercise.  
  
Papyrus’ eyes sparkled with excitement. It was rare that Sans would join Papyrus in any sort of physical activity, especially this early in the morning. Just as Sans was hoping, it looked like Papyrus would take anything he could get. “WELL, NOT DRESSED LIKE THAT, YOU’RE NOT,” Paps said eyeing San’s pjs. “GO GET DRESSED IN SOME EXERCISE CLOTHES AND MEET ME BY THE MAILBOXES! I’LL GO GET US SOME WATER BOTTLES!” Papyrus rushed off. Even if they didn’t need to stay hydrated like humans did, the water still had a sort of refreshing and energizing effect that made physical activity more bearable.  
  
Sans gathered his usual outfit: tee shirt, gym shorts, mismatched socks and a blue hoodie, from his clothes basket. At least it was clean. The dirty ones were all on the floor. Papyrus had stopped trying to tell him to hang up his clothes long ago. Welp, his brother was happy now, and that was the important thing.  
  
***  
  
Sam liked the shortcut through Monster Town. It was hands down the fastest way to her school from the house. And the people were all so friendly there, she didn’t know what people had against them. They were honestly better than most of the humans she met. The streets were safer, even for humans like her sister and herself, especially as the residents got to know them. Monster Town was full of people that actually looked out and cared for each other and Sam felt like if more humans got to know more monsters, they could learn a few things about how people should be treated.  
  
When monsters suddenly started coming out of the mountain near their town five years ago, of course, everyone was surprised. Many people were scared. Sam and Poppy’s parents had been some of the first to offer a welcoming hand, and they encouraged Sam, who was ten at the time and Poppy, who was nine, to do the same. They lived by the rule of “Get to know someone before you judge them.”  
  
Poppy, of course, was eager to make new friends, and it didn’t matter what they looked like, or even what they acted like. She always believed in the best of people. If someone was scowling, it probably meant they had a bad day and she would look for a way to make it better. Sam was more cautious, even back then. Not that she judged anyone based on looks, her parents raised her better than that. But she was less outgoing than her sister, and it took her a bit of time before she truly warmed up to anyone, human or monster. But at the very least, she would offer everyone a smile and a handshake. It was interesting what you could learn about a person from those simple gestures.  
  
Together, the sisters had earned their fair share of monster friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately being monster sympathizers made them unpopular at school, but that didn’t bother Sam. If those ignorant trash bags couldn’t look past their prejudices and be friends with monsters, then she didn’t need their friendship. She was more worried about Poppy, who actually cared about the idiots. She was convinced that she could convince them to be more tolerant.  
  
Amazingly, she was making slow but steady progress. As more people got to know monsters and realize they weren’t going to eat them and steal their souls, she was able to get her monster friends and human friends to hang out and get to know one another. And when you find common ground like that, it’s hard to continue hating someone because they are “different.” That was the only thing that kept Sam from trying to transfer herself and Poppy to the closer and friendlier Monster Town School. As their parents and Poppy said when she first brought up that it might be a better option, “WE HAVE TO GO TO MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL TO BE GOOD EXAMPLES FOR THE REST OF THE HUMANS.”  
  
So Sam put up with the long walk and endless torment, for their sake: her sister, her parents, and all the monsters who didn’t deserve the prejudice they were getting. If being a “good example” would help in any way, she would do it. And if Sam couldn’t, at least Poppy could. And if Poppy was going to Mountain View, Sam would follow, to protect her from the jerks that wouldn’t listen to her. Sam may have been short (short enough to be often mistaken as the younger sister) but she had perfected the art of the death glare. This alone often protected them from the worst teasing (to their face).  
  
“Well, hello there Poppy and Sam, off to School early?” Ms. Cindy Bun called to them as she watered the flowers outside her shop. Ms. Cindy was a middle-aged Purple bunny who ran an odds and ends shop. She also baked sweets for the shop and she had given the sisters free “samples” more than once. She was easily one of their first monster friends.  
  
“heh yeah, Ms. Cindy. this one here actually managed to get me outta bed a whole five minutes before my alarm went off.” Sam said, pointing to her sister.  
  
“I WOULD HARDLY CALL IT EARLY, MS CINDY. MORE LIKE, COMFORTABLY ON TIME. BUT I MUST SAY, IT WAS A BIT OF A MIRACLE,” Poppy said.  
  
“Oh ho. Is that so? Well, I think that deserves a treat to celebrate.” Ms. Cindy said.  
  
Sam’s smile widened. Sure, monster food didn’t fill you up, but it almost always tasted good and gave you a sweet energy boost. It would be a great back up if Poppy’s mystery lunch turned out to be more mystery than lunch.  
  
“OH, YOU DON’T HAVE TO, WE REALLY SHOULD BE ON OUR-” Poppy didn’t like to take freebies but the motherly bunny insisted, as she always did.  
  
“Nonsense. I’ve already got them here. These ones turned out a little burnt and I was hoping I’d be able to catch you and give them to two of my favorite humans.” Ms. Cindy said. Like magic, (which it totally could have been) Two slightly dark brown cinna buns wrapped in colorful plastic were in her hands.  
  
Sam looked at her sister slyly, “it would be rude to refuse a gift,” she said.  
  
Poppy sighed and gave in, she did not like to be rude, “WELL, I SUPPOSE. AT LEAST MONSTER TREATS DON’T HAVE CALORIES OR CAUSE CAVITIES, AND IT IS BETTER IF THEY ARE EATEN THEN THROWN AWAY...” Poppy took the orange wrapped cinna bun.  
  
Sam grinned triumphantly and took the one wrapped in light blue. This is how it always went. It was such a great routine. It seemed to amuse Ms.Cindy in any case. That was probably why she offered the sisters “burnt” sweets all the time, even though they were probably getting too old for this.  
  
“Take care, you two, and don’t let the mean humans get you down.” Ms. Cindy said. All Sam and Poppy’s monster friends knew of their struggles to fit in with the other humans, and tried to encourage them when they could. Sometimes seeming to forget that Sam and Poppy were humans themselves.  
  
“we’re still humans, Ms. Cindy” Sam reminded her, smiling gently, wishing a little that it wasn’t true.  
  
“Oh, I know, dear. But even so…” Ms. Cindy frowned a little, probably thinking of the times the sisters had come home crying. “Mean humans will do anything to snuff out the light in kind people. But kind young folks like you are the hope for the future of both humans and monsters. I don’t want either of you to lose hope that things can change,” Ms. Cindy said, sounding a little more serious than her usual cheery self.  
  
Poppy took it upon herself to reassure their Friend, “WE WON’T LOSE HOPE, MS. CINDY! I KNOW WE CAN CONVINCE HUMANS THAT MONSTERS ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE. WE PROMISE, RIGHT SAM?” Poppy said.  
  
Sam winced. She hated making promises, especially ones she wasn’t sure she could keep. But Poppy was looking at her expectantly, so what could she say? “Sure, Ms. Cindy. that is the reason we take the 30-minute walk all the way to Mountain View every day: to be good examples to the other humans,” Sam rehearsed.  
  
Ms. Cindy smiled warmly at the sentiments, but Poppy heard ‘30 minute walk and frowned, checking her phone. “AH! ALL THIS CHIT-CHATTING HAS PUT US BEHIND SCHEDULE! SORRY MS. CINDY! WE’LL HAVE TO CUT THINGS SHORT! THANKS FOR THE TREATS!” Poppy grabbed Sam’s wrist and started running, forcing Sam to run as well.  
  
“Yeah, thanks, Ms. Cindy, we’ll see ya later!” Sam called back to her. She could hear Ms. Cindy giggle in amusement, as she often did when the sisters had to rush off like that.  
  
“Try not to get too tangled up in wacky shenanigans” she called after them.  
  
***


	2. Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> brace for impact...

“*huff puff* Pap *huff* i think *wheeze* we lost *gasp* the dogs,” Sans said as they ran. he could no longer hear the barking of several large, but fast pups who were too young to be trained to know that skeletons didn’t like to be chased no matter how juicy their bones were. they had been chased several blocks away from their planned route and he was bone tired. Papyrus, who had Sans’ wrist and was still running quite fast, was not half so tired. Sans briefly considered temporarily detaching his arm and teleporting in front of Papyrus to get him to stop, but that would cost even more energy. more energy that he definitely did NOT have at the moment. 

Papyrus looked back at Sans and said, “WE SHOULD KEEP GOING, JUST IN CASE!”

“PAP LOOK OUT!” the minute Papyrus took his eye sockets off the path a pair of human girls came into view and a collision was imminent.

“POPPY WATCH OUT!” the shorter girl shouted. but they were both too late.  
***

“Holycrapithinkwekilledthem.” Sam blurted out in a moment of irrational thought. But who could blame her? She was looking at a pile of scattered bones.

“WORRY NOT, HUMAN! THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENS ALL THE TIME! WE WILL REASSEMBLE SHORTLY! NYEH HEH HEH!” the talking skull tried to reassure her. it wasn’t very reassuring. she could do nothing but stare in horror. she had heard of skeleton monsters before but she had never met one, and she had no way to know if what the skull said was true, or if he was just putting on a brave face for them. but just as she was about to call 911, the bones started floating and spinning around into place and soon two very naked skeletons stood before them. Of course there was nothing to see, as far as parts go, but it was still embarrassing for everyone. at least Poppy still had her senses about her. 

“SAM! QUIT STARING, TURN AROUND SO THEY CAN GET DRESSED!” and she yanked her sister around to face the other way without waiting for Sam to respond. “WE ARE BOTH VERY SORRY FOR RUNNING INTO YOU!”

“uh- *OW* right! sorry! we weren’t paying attention. we hope you guys are ok.” Poppy hit her in the arm to get her to say something, but it was unnecessary. of course she would have said sorry! she just needed a second!

“NOT AT ALL, HUMANS! WE ARE SORRY AS WELL, SINCE WE ARE JUST AS AT FAULT. WE ALSO FAILED TO NOTICE YOU RUNNING TOWARDS US, RIGHT SANS?” the tall skeleton said. 

There was a pause and a soft, “ow, geeze, ya didn’t have ta-”

“HHMMM?” the tall skeleton hinted.

“oh! right! yeah. it was our fault too. and *heh* no blood no foul, right?”

Sam was stunned a bit but found herself laughing at the absurdity of it. 

“WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT? IT WASN’T THAT FUNNY!” but Poppy was snickering herself. she probably couldn’t help it, what with the adrenaline high and all that.

“THE *PFF* HUMAN IS *HE HE* RIGHT *SNERK* NOT FUNNY AT ALL!” the tall skeleton tried to hold back but that just made it funnier and Sam started laughing harder and the short skeleton lost it and tall skeleton and Poppy followed soon after and they were all a laughing mess for a little while.

when things calmed down a bit, the shorter skeleton said, “alright, it’s safe to turn around, let’s do this properly.” Sam and Poppy turned around to face the skeletal duo.

it was like looking into a weird funhouse mirror or maybe a haunted house since they were skeletons. they were completely different, yet oh so familiar. posture, style, even the way they spoke was the same, now that Sam thought about it. they were quiet for a moment as they took each other in. then the short skeleton offered his hand to Poppy just as Sam offered her hand to the tall skeleton. Sam noticed a similar sort of ‘happy friendship sparkle’ in the tall guy’s eye sockets as she often saw in Poppy’s eyes when she met someone new. She felt kinda bad for the small prank she was about to pull to break the ice. But it was too late now. her eyes darted over to the short guy who was about to shake hands with her sister. their eyes met for a split second and Sam noticed the slightest little-wicked gleam. but she wasn’t scared...it was the very same wicked gleam she had in her eyes at the moment. an odd sort of understanding passed between them, ‘brace for impact.’  
***

the sound of two whoopee cushions going off at once was indescribable. incredible. unimaginably beautiful. the short human had taste, that was for sure. the tall pair stared blankly in stunned silence while the short pair got caught in another fit of laughter. the tall ones came to their senses first.

“THAT WASN’T FUNNY, YOU TWO! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS PULL THAT PRANK WHEN YOU MEET SOMEONE, SAM!” the tall human shouted.

“THAT WAS NOT FUNNY, YOU TWO! WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS PULL THAT TRICK WHEN YOU MEET SOMEONE, SANS!” Papyrus yelled.

“awe c’mon Paps-”

“yeah, Poppy-”

“the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick-”

“is always funny!” the human finished for Sans. he smirked, nodding at her, impressed. she knew what was up.

“i’m Sans, Sans the Skeleton, and this is my brother, Papyrus. nice ta meet ya…?”

“Sam, Sam Black, and this is my sister, Poppy, and, uh same.” Sam introduced herself and her sister. 

geeze, even their names were similar...though it was odd. the way her and her sister talked felt just like the ‘fonts’ Sans and Papyrus used: Comic Sans and Papyrus. it was odd enough that these human girls spoke in ‘fonts’ outside of the norm to begin with, but the fact that they were the same ones he and his brother used was very interesting. he was half surprised when their names were different, but then again humans couldn’t distinguish ‘fonts’ like skeletons could and they didn’t have the same naming tradition. oh well. at least it would be less confusing this way.

“so...i hope this isn’t rude...but does Sans stand for “Comic Sans?” like the font? i don’t know how to describe it...but you sound the way that font looks? does that make sense? Papyrus...also sounds the way Papyrus font looks? is that weird? is that a skeleton thing? i’m sorry…” Sam observed.

Sans found her observations interesting. very interesting. ‘are you sure you’re human, kid?’ Sans thought. fellow monsters didn’t even notice that about them, let alone humans. something was different about these two.

“SAM! THAT IS PROBABLY A VERY PERSONAL QUESTION! OF COURSE, IT WAS RUDE!” Poppy scolded her sister.

“NO, MY NEW FRIEND POPPY, THAT WAS A FAIR QUESTION, WE SKELETONS DO NOT CONSIDER IT RUDE TO ASK ABOUT OUR ‘FONTS.’ IT IS RUDE OF SANS, HOWEVER, TO NOT ANSWER HER. GO AHEAD, SANS.” Papyrus scolded Sans.

“oh, sorry. it’s just that we don’t get that question a lot. you caught me off guard. yeah, our names reflect our speaking styles or our ‘fonts.’ it is a skeleton thing, because most other monsters and humans speak in the same ‘font’ and can’t distinguish when one font varies from another. the fact that you noticed is pretty interesting. but what’s even more interesting is that you two speak-”

“EEAK! LOOK AT THE TIME! WE REALLY ARE LATE NOW! THERE’S NO WAY WE CAN MAKE IT BEFORE FINAL BELL! WE’LL HAVE TO FINISH THIS CONVERSATION ANOTHER TIME! WE HAVE TO GO!” Poppy shouted and was about to grab her sister and run off again, but Sans grabbed her arm gently and held her still. ‘geeze, she really is like Paps, neither of them likes to stay still for very long,’ Sans thought.

“relax a bit, kid. you two go to Mountain View, right? it just so happens i know a shortcut.”

Sam narrowed her eyes with suspicion, “what do you mean, Sans? this is the shortcut. this road is a straight shot to Mountain View. you can’t get any shorter than a straight line,” Sam said. she would have been right, if they took the human way.

“SANS,” Papyrus warned, “YOU KNOW MOST HUMANS FREAK OUT WHEN YOU USE YOUR ‘SHORTCUTS.’ MOST MONSTERS TOO, FOR THAT MATTER.”

“IT’S OK, PAPYRUS. IF HE KNOWS A FASTER WAY TO GET TO SCHOOL, I’M ALL FOR IT!” Poppy said quickly, clearly wanting to be gone already.

“do...you mean teleporting? is that a thing you can really do? is it safe? for humans, i mean?” Sam asked cautiously. so she had a serious side too; a protective side. made sense to Sans. after all, he did too. but she had nothin’ to worry about. 

“yeah, it’s teleporting. you’ll both be fine. i’ve tried it with humans plenty of times and they’re all fine,” Sans said, not bothering to mention that the only human he tried it on was Frisk. but it was fine, humans all had the same basic anatomy after all: skeletons with squishy gut stuff wrapped in skin. simple. 

“YOU MEAN, WE COULD BE AT SCHOOL INSTANTLY? AS IN 15 WHOLE MINUTES EARLY?!” Poppy’s eyes sparkled exactly like Paps’ did when he got excited. she looked at her sister pleadingly. sans was all too familiar with that expression. that was the expression of someone you just couldn’t say ‘no’ to. Sans almost felt bad for Sam. he knew exactly what she was going through: she was torn between her sister’s happiness and her safety. Sans decided to make it easier for her.

“ok, here’s the deal. i’ll take Sam first so she can see that it’s safe for Poppy. it’s probably better to do one at a time anyway.” Sans said.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. just as Sans thought she might. she cared about her sister’s safety, but not so much her own. that was another thing they had in common. “yeah, ok. that sounds fine. as long as it doesn’t take too much of your energy. i know magic things cost a bit of power depending on how big the spell is. idk but it seems like teleportation is a big deal. not many monsters seem to do it,” she said, once again showing off her observation skills.

“it’s actually not about power. the reason you don’t see many monsters doing it is cuz it’s a complicated math and magic formula,” Sans explained.

a hungry curiosity sparked in Sam’s eyes; a very familiar scientific curiosity. “can you show me? like on paper or something?” she asked. ‘she could probably handle it,’ Sans thought. ‘with a little background on how magic works.’ he thought fondly of his teenage years; how eager he was to learn stuff like this, to discover new things. he got that vibe from her, except she kept it reserved most of the time, like he did ever since the accident. ‘so kid, what happened in your past to ruin science for ya?’ he thought. then he shook his head; just because she was similar, didn’t mean she had trauma in her life like he had. she was so young...he sure hoped not. he made up his mind to explain it to her, in detail.

“later, kiddo. while i have a feeling you can take it, it will still take some time to explain. you guys have to get to school, after all,” Sans said. she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“ok, sans. later then,” she said patiently. like really patiently. like Sans could feel the patience come off her. that was one difference between her and Sans: her SOUL was much more vibrant and strong. it was a human thing. human emotions that strong would overwhelm a monster body. the more he learned about humans, the more impressed he was by them. “let’s go,” she said, bringing him back to reality.

“alright, Sam. all you gotta do is follow me closely.”  
***


	3. No Magic Allowed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bully blocks the way and this school has stupid rules.

To Sam’s surprise, the skeleton headed in the opposite direction of the school. But she didn’t have time to wonder, he had said to follow him closely, and she was secretly eager to see exactly how teleportation worked. At first, they were just walking down the street, and then the next second, everything was dark and oddly cold. And then they were at the school, easy as pie. Nothin’ spectacular to it. She was almost disappointed, but mostly she was glad it worked out. Poppy would be fine; more than fine, she’d be thrilled! They’d be at school with minutes to spare.

“Well, if it isn't Samantha Black?” Madison Worthington’s grating voice called to her. She flipped her blazing red pony tale as if it made her look cool or something.

“(friend of yours)?” Sans asked discreetly. 

“As if you couldn't be more of a freak,” Madison declared loud enough for half the school to hear. “You think it's cool to show up out of nowhere with that living nightmare and scare the daylights out of normal people?” A few of her goons snickered.

“(what do you think?)” Sam answered dryly. “well hi to you too Maddy,” Sam paused for effect. Madison hated her childhood nickname, and it was sooo worth it to see how much it made her squirm. “good to see you’re doing well as ever,” Sam said. She loved saying harmless things in a way that irked the spoiled little brat but could not get her in trouble. It was a game she was good at. 

“No magic or monster freaks on the school grounds,” Madison most graciously pointed out. It was true. Mountain View School was a “magic free zone” to make kids feel “safer.”

“(is she always this fun?)” Sans asked.

“(only on Tuesdays)” Sam replied with a smirk. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn't one of Madison's mindless zombies or too nice for their own good, like Poppy. “thanks for reminding me. good thing we are exactly 500 feet from the school grounds, ey Maddy.” Sam winked at her smugly. No stupid rules were broken here. Sam could practically see the fumes rising off the top of Madison's head. She turned to Sans, “alright, this was fun, but maybe you should disappear before she gets a teacher with a measuring tape.”

“would she really do that?” Sans asked, but they both looked at Madison and they knew she was contemplating it right then. “right, well. i do have to get Poppy. i’ll be back in a sec. don’t get into any fights while i’m gone.”

“i will try to restrain myself,” Sam smirked as he vanished. She walked towards the school and Madison giggled evilly.

“Didn't you hear what I said, freak? No monsters allowed. That includes you. Why don't you go to that monster school where you belong? You should get out of here before I call campus security,” Madison taunted.

‘don't i freakin' wish?’ Sam thought, ‘then i wouldn't have to put up with you.’ “unfortunately for the both of us, i am, in fact, human, and i’m enrolled in this fine institution. so if you don't mind, i’d like to get to class.” Sam still had a good five to ten minutes but she would much rather spend that time at her homeroom desk, snoozing. 

She began walking towards the school again, only to find Madison and her goons completely blocking the gate, making it impossible for anyone to pass. A crowd was beginning to form. “let me make it so simple a monster like you can understand: no freaks allowed.” Madison said nastily. Her goons giggled. 

Sam really, really wanted to ignore her, and Sans’ advice to stay out of fights was fresh in her mind. But Madison stood between her and a few precious minutes of naptime. And Sam did not wake up early just to have her extra time eaten away by the likes of Madison Prudence Worthington. “out of the way, Madison (before i tell all your little friends what the “P” in your name stands for)” Sam threatened Madison privately. 

The color drained from her face and anger and fear mingled in Madison's next words, “you wouldn't dare,” she whispered. But Madison knew it wasn't an idle bluff. 

They had been friends long ago before her politician mommy started a very blatantly anti-monster campaign and Madison followed suit. But before that, Sam got a hold of plenty of juicy tidbits she could use if she were desperate. Like the fact that Madison loathed her middle name and kept it a secret.

Of course, you could only reveal something once so she only used these secrets in emergencies. And mostly she only used them as bluffs to get Madison off her back. Even though their friendship was looong over, she still felt kinda rotten telling people things Madison had once told her in confidence. But she would do it if Madison pushed her. She had done it before. This tension had a way of keeping things from getting out of hand and Sam liked to keep it that way, but every now and then, Madison needed a little reminder.

“you wanna bet Madison Pr-” Sam started but Madison seemed to lose all sense of composure for an instant. She made a motion as if to push Sam to the ground like they were back in fourth grade or something. 

At that moment, something odd happened to Sam. She felt something unlock inside her and suddenly time stood still. Everyone was frozen in place except Sam. She stared for a little bit in wonder as if she were frozen too, but she wasn't. She could feel a little bit of her energy slip away with every beat of her non-frozen. heart.

She had to act fast. Whatever this was, it was only temporary. Madison's motion to push her left an opening in the gate just big enough for Sam to get through so she ran to the other side of the gate and released whatever hold on time she had and locked up the place where energy was leaking from her.

Momentum carried Madison forward until she fell flat on her face. her friends just stared blankly at the spot Sam had been, too dumbfounded to help her up. Madison pushed herself up, spun around and glared at Sam, completely red-faced.

“I’m telling the principle!” she shouted like a first grader.

Sam crossed her arms and smirked, dirt looked good on Madison, “what are you going to tell her Maddy? that i wouldn't stand there and take your attack after you taunted me and tried to keep me from getting to class on time? i’m sure she would love to hear all about it,” Sam said confidently. The principle was strict but fair. She was also very good at sorting truth from lies, and Sam had nothing to hide.

Madison turned a deeper shade of red, if that were possible and said “Don't think I didn't notice! You used magic on me! And I have all these witnesses to confirm what I saw! Your eyes were glowing, right girls?” her friends nodded stupidly, still dumbfounded at what just happened, but it was enough for Madison, “and we all know magic freaks’ eyes glow like that when they are about to unleash their unnatural freakishness! That monster freak is probably related to you! That would explain a lot! Freaks of a feather stick together, after all. You really are a monster and now I have proof!” Madison said triumphantly if a little hysterically. 

Sam would've been very amused if this didn't mean trouble. So it really was magic then? If that was true, she could get in serious trouble for using it in a ‘fight.’ Never mind if she didn't start it or harm Madison directly. It almost certainly meant expulsion from Mountain View and she wouldn't freakin' care if she wasn't worried about what would happen to her sister when she was gone. 

But more than angry or afraid, she was curious. What did it mean? How did this happen? Ever since the barrier broke and monsters came back to the surface, things began...changing. Humans with the capacity to use magic were popping up everywhere. And the rest of the ‘normal’ humans tended to be scared of that ability. Hence the strict rules.

No one knew what triggered it. One theory was that exposure to monsters or other magical plants or animals caused a reaction. This fear of becoming ‘infected’ with magic lead to a lot of nasty rules and regulations and paranoia, especially in the first couple of years. The panic died down when people realized that while magic humans were popping up all over, there were relatively few of them: about one mage for every thousand normals. In the end, it just seemed random. It could affect anyone at any age, in any circumstance. But the mages liked to believe that magic chose them. That it was some sort of entity that had thoughts and feelings. Sam didn't personally believe it. But she didn't entirely discount the possibility. 

Whatever the reason, she had felt something at that moment and she used it to do what she did. Magic, she supposed, was a part of her life now and she couldn't get rid of it or deny it if she wanted to. She sighed. This complicated things. But despite everything, it was worth it to see Madison fall on her face. And for that, she decided she didn't hate her new powers.  
***

Sans returned to the place where his brother and Poppy were waiting impatiently with their arms crossed and their feet tapping. It was hysterical how alike the two were.

“THERE YOU ARE!” Papyrus said.

“WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?” Poppy said.

“WE WERE WORRIED SICK!” Paps said.

“I THOUGHT TELEPORTATION WAS INSTANTANEOUS? “ Poppy asked.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” Paps asked.

The two of them glared so accusingly at Sans he was actually a little intimidated, even though there was nothing to worry about, nothing his little human clone couldn't handle on her own. She’d put that little princess in her place for sure. “a little bully wanted to cause some trouble and i thought i would stick around to see what i could do to help but Sam handled herself well and i decided it was safe to leave and come to get you. sorry to make you both worry,” Sans said.

“OH SHOOT! IT WAS PROBABLY MADISON. SAM HATES THAT GIRL. IF THOSE TWO ARE CLASHING, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY! THIS IS WHY I CAN'T LET HER OUT OF MY SIGHT! SANS! I NEED TO GET THERE TO HELP HER NOW!” Poppy insisted.

“I UNDERSTAND THE FEELING COMPLETELY, POPPY. I OFTEN WONDER WHAT MY BROTHER WOULD DO WITHOUT ME TO LOOK AFTER HIM. BUT YOU MUST GIVE SANS A QUICK MOMENT. HE NEEDS TO ‘RECHARGE’ A BIT BEFORE HE USES HIS ABILITY AGAIN.” Papyrus said, much to San's gratitude. his brother really was great. 

“don't worry, kid. it’ll only be a minute.” sans tried to reassure her but if she was anything like Papyrus, he knew what was next.

Right on cue, she said, “I DON'T HAVE A MINUTE! SHE COULD BE IN TROUBLE NOW! WILL THIS HELP?” to San's surprise, she pulled out one of Ms. Cindy's “free samples.” He could tell it was free because it was slightly darker than her usual cinna buns. Sans and Papyrus had eaten plenty in their time as kids in Snowdin. It was surprising that Poppy had one, then again, perhaps not that surprising since they apparently passed her shop on the way to school every day. but still, if they lived so close, it was amazing that they had never met such a memorable pair of sisters before in such a small town. At the very least Cindy could have told Sans about a pair of sisters that were exactly like them. 

He took the treat in his hand, looking at Papyrus guiltily: he disapproved of eating too many sweets. But Papyrus sighed and nodded in approval: it was a bit of an emergency. “yeah, thanks. this will give me a good boost.” He unwrapped the little cinna bun and popped the whole thing in his mouth, feeling it’s sweet, sweet energy dissolve and flow through him. He wished he had more time to savor it, but duty called. he had to help his new sisters.

Back at the human school, there was a bit of commotion at the gate. The hateful, red-headed brat and a couple of her goons were blocking the way. Sans restrained himself from rushing forward and intervening. The brat already made it clear she hated monsters and monsters really were banned from the grounds so if he so much as looked at her funny on her turf, it would be a public relations nightmare.

All that went out the window when he sensed violent intentions from her. He was halfway to teleporting when he felt the ripple in time. It was very subtle, and if one didn't know what to look for, it would have been easily missed. it had been a long time since he last felt it.

He looked for Sam if any human here caused it, he was certain it would be her. she was so similar to him after all. yes, that seemed to be the case. Sam was safely on the other side of the gate and red head’s face was in the dirt. Sans knew that move. that was one of his signature moves. so based on that evidence what happened was this: Sam noticed Red about to hurt her, so without thinking, she tapped into her magic and froze time for a few seconds. that gave her a chance to get out of the way and through the gate. then she closed off her magic and time moved forward and so did Red, right into the dirt. classic. Sam turned to face them and even from far away he could see the telltale magic gleam still lingering in her eyes. 

He found he was oddly proud of a girl he’d never met until today. Poppy ran towards her sister to back her up. Sans smiled a little sadly. He wished he could help too. But he would just make things worse for Sam. He glared at the “No magic Allowed” sign by the gate. As a being made of magic, he was most definitely banned. Having a monster friend intervene when just using magic was apparently an infraction, was probably not good. 

He sighed. At least he knew she was in good hands as Poppy ran up and gave her a relieved hug...and then put her hands on her hips and started lecturing her. Sans watched the two sisters in amusement for a moment. It was like looking at his own life from a distance or watching an old home video. Then he turned around and teleported back to Paps.

“WELL? ARE THEY BOTH OK?” Papyrus asked anxiously. 

“yeah. they're fine. nothing bad happened, and once the Great Poppy arrived on the scene, i knew things would be taken care of. she reminds me of a certain very reliable skeleton,” Sans said.

Papyrus beamed with pride. “ I HAD A FEELING IT WOULD WORK OUT LIKE THAT. SAM HAS A REALLY COOL SISTER TO LOOK OUT FOR HER. NYEH HEH HEH! I DID NOT DOUBT SHE COULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SHE IS VERY MUCH LIKE ME AFTER ALL!” Papyrus said, confidently. 

“yeah, just like you Paps. *yawn* all this excitement is exhausting. i don't know how you do it bro,” Sans said.

“WELL, IT HELPS IF YOU EXERCISE A BIT EVERYDAY TO BUILD UP ENDURANCE. “ Papyrus said. he knew Sans wouldn't change no matter how many times he suggested it. But there was the tiniest bit of hope. 

“right, well in any case that is enough exercise for now. i’m heading home. you wanna take my shortcut?” Papyrus crossed his arms and glared at him as if to say, ‘YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER, SO WHY ARE YOU ASKING?’ San shrugged his shoulders and said, “can't say i didn't offer.” and he was off.  
***


	4. Who Cares About This Lame School Anyway?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets expelled for using magic. Whatever. She's better off going to monster school anyway.

“Get OUT of my office Miss Worthington, or it’s TWO week's detention.” Principle Weaver did not take anyone's crap. Especially spoiled brats like Madison who thought they ruled the school and could get away with anything by throwing money and her mother's name around. She sighed and rubbed her temples as the red-haired nightmare stalked out grumbling something about ‘wait till my mother hears about this, yadda yadda.’ did that child ever shut up? So annoying! 

Now that the worst was over she turned to the infamous Black sisters. She sighed. Though they almost never caused the trouble, hardly a week went by without them being *in* some sort of trouble. They were good girls who did their best, and maybe that was the problem: the world wasn't kind to people like them. Principle Weaver’s dark brown eyes softened just a fraction. They didn't deserve to be here, especially Poppy who wasn't even there for the latest...incident, but circumstances dictated that she needed to hear what she was about to say to Sam. 

Sam had admitted to using magic for the first time, right on school grounds. It was obviously provoked and nobody got hurt (unless you counted Madison's pride). She didn't try to hide it or deny it, and that right there earned the principal's respect. If there was one thing she hated, it was liars. She frowned. It wasn't fair what she had to do to Sam. She didn't deserve it.

She knew that Sam didn't mean to do it. It was her first time using magic for crying out loud! The child didn't even know she could use magic until that moment. It was an unconscious reaction to a threat. That didn't call for punishment. And if it were up to her, the two sisters would each get her congratulations for knocking that pompous brat down a few rungs. What really irked her was that brat was getting her way (for the most part, at least her fighting, lying and arguing were grounds for her own punishment.) 

Mrs. Weaver sighed, her hands were tied by the very anti-magic school board and superintendent. They would have a fit when they found out the *precious darling* daughter of the senator was injured because someone used magic at school. Disgusting. The only reason she worked here was to protect kids like Sam and Poppy who, like her, were monster sympathizers. 

“Samantha, I-” Mrs. Weaver started apologetically. 

“it’s ok, Mrs. Weaver. i know your hands are tied. there's nothin’ you can do. magic on school grounds is one thing, but using it in a fight is ‘inexcusable’ right? ‘and as such, the appropriate punishment is expulsion.’ that's what the student handbook says,” Sam said, perceptive as always. It was a shame to have to turn away such a bright student for some ridiculous rules.

Of course, her sister had something to say on the matter, “BUT SAM, YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT! YOU DIDN'T BREAK THE RULES *CONSCIOUSLY!* THAT HAS TO COUNT FOR SOMETHING! NOT ONLY THAT BUT YOU WERE CLEARLY PROVOKED AND NOBODY GOT HURT, SO…” she couldn't finish. Even the optimistic Poppy knew that it wasn't enough that it was unjust. Magic was used on school grounds ‘against’ a student. And even if that was not technically the case, the powers at be would not see it that way.

Principle Weaver sighed and started again, “Samantha, I regret to inform you that your actions this morning, are indeed grounds for expulsion from this school,” *no matter how ridiculous and unfair this whole thing is,* “I wish it were not so. You and your sister's presence have been a great asset to our school. Both of your grades speak for themselves. However, the anti-magic policy is strict and unforgiving. I cannot allow you to stay here. Though, even if I didn't have to ‘punish’ you, I would recommend that you leave. Even if you discovered your magic miles away, I wouldn't want you to stay here, if for the simple fact that this school will tear you apart for having magic. Sooner or later Madison and her ilk would have found a way to make you use it at school. In a way, this is better. Much less drawn out. Even so, it is a shame to lose both of our best examples of monster sympathizers at once.” Mrs. Weaver said.

“WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘BOTH,’ PRINCIPLE WEAVER?” Poppy asked.

She supposed the implications weren't that clear. “I mean that I think you should leave this school too. But you did nothing to invoke the wrath of the school board, so it is your choice. But I fear that having a sister who can use magic may put you in danger of bullies who will ‘punish’ you to get to her when she is gone.”

“OH,” Poppy said quietly. "I...I UNDERSTAND, PRINCIPLE WEAVER. I WILL GO WITH MY SISTER. I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE YOU ANY MORE TROUBLE. AND WHILE I THINK I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING THE BULLIES CAN DISH OUT, I KNOW MY SISTER WOULD BE DISTRACTED FROM HER STUDIES WORRYING ABOUT ME,” Poppy gave her sister a small smile and squeezed her hand. Sam gave the tiniest smile back. No decent person could hate Poppy’s smile. It worked wonders in the best circumstances. Principle Weaver made her decision. She was going to help protect that smile any way she could, even if it was just a small way.

“I will put in a good word with the principal of Monster Town School. You are good students, after all, with very good grades, so I don't even have to exaggerate that you two will be fine additions to her school. She's a good friend of mine. She will listen fairly to the facts of the case, and if I know her, she will welcome you both with open arms,” she said. That was an understatement. Toriel loved all children, but she especially loved human children who were monster friendly. They gave her hope for the future. Mrs. Weaver actually caught herself smiling thinking of the warm welcome they were about to receive. Then she noticed the two sisters staring and she quickly regained composure. 

“I will set up an interview for you. I will call to let you know the date and time. If all goes well, as I’m sure it will, you should be in class by early next week, perhaps sooner,” Mrs. Weaver said. 

“Thanks for speeding up the process, Principle Weaver. Poppy hates sick days as it is. The less school she misses, the better.” Sam smiled appreciatively.

Mrs. Weaver returned the smile, picturing a bedridden Poppy, not complaining about her sickness, but about the amount of school she was missing. It fit too well. She would dearly miss them both. And with that thought, she dismissed them gently, “Your time at this school may be over, but your future is just beginning. You will do great things if you put your mind to it. Don't let anyone make you feel inferior for standing up to do the right thing. They're the ones who are wrong. Keep being your best selves and good will come of it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.”

Poppy was tearing up, but Sam had a mischievous smirk, “gee, Mrs. Weaver. we’re being expelled, remember? not graduating,” she said.

*Smart alec.* Yep. She would definitely miss them both. “All right, enough sappiness. You two better get out of here before the princess gets her royal guards to haul you off to jail or something.” 

With that they hopped out of their seats and Poppy was out the door, but Sam lingered for one last word, “seriously, thank you though. not a lot of people are willing to side with monsters or mages. i know you’re doing what you can. i hope this whole mess doesn't cause you too many headaches.”

Mrs. Weaver smiled dryly. Oh yes, there would indeed be headaches. But not right now. “I can manage. You and your sister take care, alright? Don't let the ignorant fools out there get you down.” she said. Sam’s smile widened. What now?

“What's so funny?” she asked.

“oh, nothin’. it’s just our friend said that on our way to school. our *monster* friend. i guess monsters and humans really aren't that different. the good humans like you anyway,” and with that, she left. Mrs. Weaver smiled with satisfaction at the genuine compliment.  
***  
*Riiiing Riiiing!* the house phone cut through Sans’ nap. Papyrus wasn't home yet so it was up to him to get it. He groaned and rolled out of bed and teleported down to the kitchen. “ ‘sup?” he said sleepily to the receiver.

“uh, this is Sam Black. is that you Sans?” Sam asked. Well, that was surprising. Wasn't she at school? He found it hard to imagine such a strict school letting students call people during class.

Not to mention…. "hey Sam, it’s nice to hear from ya, but i gotta ask...how did you get my number?” He might expect Poppy to dial every number sequentially until she got the right one, but that wasn't Sam’s style. So how did she do it?

“i took an educated guess. i did my own home number but with the monster town area code. it’s actually pretty spooky that it worked,” she said.

“yeah...spooky.” The similarities were endless. At this point, it was more than just coincidences. It was fate. “to what do i owe the pleasure of this call?” Sans asked.

“i got expelled,” she stated, almost bored like it didn’t bother her at all, “anyway, since i’m free now, i was wondering if you could teach me about teleportation? but i understand if you would rather be napping. it’s been a busy day, and it’s not even ten o’clock. if i was you i’d still be sleeping at this time on a day off.” Oh, she was good. 

“geeze, kid. they expelled you for that little fight? from what i saw, nothing violent happened. no one got hurt,” Sans said. Was that school really that strict?

“ah, so you did see what happened. that makes it easier. then you probably also saw me use magic, and like our *dear friend* reminded us, magic is 100% forbidden at Mountain View. that alone would condemn me, but the fact that i used it in a ‘fight’ against the senator’s daughter was the nail in the coffin,” She said

Ah, so that was it. Senator Worthington and her anti-monster agenda would be the death of him. Fortunately, elections were coming up, and this round, monsters had the right to vote. Also, the initial panic had worn down a lot in the last couple of years. With any luck, senator Worthington would be kissing her senatorial seat goodbye very shortly. “ah, well, glad to hear you’re not too beat up about it. something tells me you wouldn't like a school like that anyway. but how’s Poppy taking it?”

Sam got a bit quiet for a moment. Not great then. “she's mostly sad we can't stay to be good examples to the other humans. but she's happy for me. she knows i’ve wanted to leave that trash heap of a school as soon as i learned there was a closer, friendlier option.”

“wait? Poppy got expelled too? she literally did nothing!” Sans fumed.

“no no, they wouldn't do that. they aren't heartless. it was her choice. she wants to make sure i’m looked after, and who better than herself?” Sam said.

Sans calmed down. His brother would have done the same thing. it was still pretty unbelievable that Sam got expelled for something so minor. Something she had no control of. It was probably better that the two of them were out of that school. They deserved so much better. “how’d your folks take it?” 

“my grandma’s at work and i don’t think the school has had a chance to reach her yet, but i don't think she’ll be too upset. she also hated that school and only had us go there because it was our parent’s wish that we would be good examples to the other humans there. i guess mom and dad would be sad that we can’t be those good examples anymore, but kinda relieved that we are switching to a better school.” she said.

Oh. So both parents were gone. Well, wasn’t that just *poetic?* Of course, Sam and Poppy’s parents were gone! Everything else lined up with Sans’ and Papyrus’ life, so why not that too? His SOUL ached with an old pain. He could only imagine what Sam was feeling right now. And HE was the jerk who brought it up! Man, he really felt rotten. “oh geeze, i didn’t realize...i mean...i’m sorry...i-,”

“Sans, breath. it’s ok. you didn’t know. you forget, we just met this morning! you couldn’t have known. it’s already been two years. yeah, it still hurts, but life goes on, ya know?” Sam said.

“i know. i still feel like trash for bringing it up. i know, i’ll make it up to ya. you wanted to learn about teleporting, right? well, now that you can use magic, i suppose you also wanna learn how to teleport. i’ll teach ya. i’ll teach you all sorts of things about magic if you want. what do you say?” Sans offered.

“wow...that would...that would be great, Sans! would you really? where should we meet?” Sam asked.

“how about children’s memorial park?” All kinds of monsters and human mages went there to practice magic in the wide open space.

“ok, i know where that is. Poppy likes to jog there sometimes and i hang out and read under a big tree near where the Nicecream guy likes to set up shop.” Sam said.

“holy crap! the huge flippin’ maple, right? between the little freakin’ green dino slide? and the spider web rope thing? i sit there all the time when Paps goes for his jogs!” Sans said.

“holy crap. how have we missed each other all this time?” Sam asked.

“scheduling conflicts? we usually go to the park in the mid-morning and head home around 1:30,” Sans said.

“that explains it. of course, it’s is an after school thing for us. so you wanna meet up in like an hour or so?” She suggested.

“yeah. 11:30 sounds like a good time. probably bring something to take notes with and wear some clothes that you don’t mind sweating on. practicing magic is a real workout. oh, i guess some water would also be good. hydration is important for you guys,” Sans advised. 

“got it. see ya then, bro- uh oops just..forget i said... awe geeze. i mean... unrelated people call each other bro and sis all the time! it’s not weird! but...it is weird? to justify it like this? crap.” Sam said. Sans could hear her smack the phone to her head. He found himself chuckling in amusement. As *if* they weren’t already practically siblings. Who did she think she was fooling?

“whatever, sis. stop being such a spaz. i’ll see ya later.” Sans said.

“dfiheigheisdnv!!!! bonehead!” she said and hung up.

Sans laughed to himself. She caught on quick. He expected nothing less from his new little sister.  
***


	5. Undyne Catches Some ‘Delinquents’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne thinks Sam and Poppy are ditching, but really their school has ditched them...

_“hey Miranda, that kid looks lonely. maybe we should go talk to them?”_

_“Hee hee hee. You’re funny Sam, that’s why I like you. Isn’t it obvious? They *like* to be alone! Why else would they sit all the way over there? If they want to make friends, then *they* should make the effort to be friendly.”_

_“i guess that makes sense. you’re right.”_

_“Of course I’m right! I’m always right! Now, what do you think of my new dress?”_

_“it looks great on you. i don’t think i could pull it off.” that was the polite way to say it wasn’t her style. it was much too frilly and covered in sequence._

_“Hmm, you’re right. No offense, dear, but this outfit would be wasted on you. Don’t feel bad, only someone as pretty as me can pull off style like this!”_

_The kid’s name was Francis Burke. Sam never forgot it because two days later, Francis Burke was reported missing. Soon after that, monsters came out of Mt Ebott. And Madison showed her true colors. She and Sam got into an argument, which turned into a fight which turned into a full-on brawl. Sam kicked her butt by dodging all Maddy’s punches and finding the right moment to throw her own. They’ve been sworn enemies ever since. But Sam still regretted the day Francis needed her help, and nobody came. All because she listened to STUPID FLIPPIN’ MADISON P. WORTHINGTON!_

Sam punched her pillow as if it was Madison’s stupid face. She had been taking a short nap to rest up for magic practice when these memories flooded into her head. Probably due to the fact that Madison once again tried to ruin her life. ‘joke’s on you, Maddy! i *hated* that school! almost as much as i hate you!’ she thought, punching her pillow some more.

The alarm on her phone went off, indicating nap time was over. She sighed and got out of bed. She swapped her skinny jeans for some gym shorts. ‘heh, now i’ll look even *more* like that bonehead. figures,’ she thought. She grabbed her backpack and took all the textbooks out of it and tossed them unceremoniously on the floor. That left a couple notebooks, several pens and pencils, a science joke book and Poppy’s mystery lunch. She grimaced looking at it, and sighed. She decided she might as well bring it, since she didn’t *know* it would be bad. At least she still had the cinna bun in her pocket. She went to the kitchen and filled a clean bottle with cold water, then dropped a couple of ice cubes in it. She hoped it wouldn’t be too hot today. As much as she loved the comfort of her hoodie, she hated the heat.

She poked her head in the living room, where Poppy was doing yoga to make herself feel better. ‘leave it to Poppy to use exercise to feel *good,*’ Sam thought fondly. “i’m meeting Sans to practice magic at the park. wanna bring your yoga stuff and watch?” Sam offered.

“YEAH, OK. SOMEONE HAS TO BE THERE TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GET INTO ANY MORE TROUBLE. I LIKE SANS, BUT I GET THE FEELING THAT SINCE HE’S SO MUCH LIKE YOU, YOU TWO WOULD GET INTO SOME KIND OF MISCHIEF OR ANOTHER. BESIDES, WATCHING YOU LEARN MAGIC SOUNDS FUN! NYEE HEE HEE!” Poppy said. Sam smiled. She loved her sister’s distinct laugh.

“great! let’s go!” Sam said.  
***

“hiii Sans! sorry i’m late! i decided to bring Poppy. i hope that’s ok?” Sam called. She and Poppy were being escorted by Officer Undyne, who thought they were playing hooky. 

At first, she wouldn’t listen to them, brushing off their excuses as blatant lies. But instead of getting mad, the fish lady nodded her head sagely and told them she understood. She had said that as a kid, she hated school and she would make up all sorts of crazy lies to get out of trouble. But as an adult, she regretted her past behavior. That’s why she was so tough on kids who played hooky, so they wouldn’t have regrets. A tear actually glistened in the fish officer’s good eye. 

But then Sam mentioned Sans, and that changed things. “Oh really,” Officer Undyne said skeptically, “Sans just *happens* to be a good friend of mine. If I take you to him, he’ll back up your story?” She crossed her arms, narrowed her good eye and flashed her pointy-toothed grin, sure she had caught them.

“absolutely,” Sam said meeting her gaze and matching her pose, with a huge smile firmly in place. Undyne frowned. But she wasn’t beaten yet! “Very well then. Let’s have a chat with Sans under the maple tree. *If* he’s there, that is,” she said. 

“lead the way, officer,” Sam said. She sounded confident.

“hey, kiddo. i see you met the good officer Undyne. i guess she probably thought you were ditching, huh? it’s ok Undyne. they’re with me. Sam here got kicked out of the human school for doing magic, and instead of crying about it, she decided she wanted me to teach her how to use her new powers. Poppy followed to make sure we stayed out of trouble, just like Paps followed me.” Sans pointed his thumb at his brother who waved enthusiastically.

“THAT’S RIGHT, UNDYNE! WHEN I HEARD WHAT HAPPENED, I WAS SO UPSET THAT THE GIRLS WOULD BE MISSING OUT ON THEIR EDUCATION OVER SOMETHING SO SILLY. THE RULES OF THAT HUMAN SCHOOL REALLY ARE UNFAIR! BUT I AM SO PROUD OF SAM FOR DECIDING TO LEARN SOMETHING USEFUL ANYWAY! I CAME TO SUPERVISE. YOU KNOW HOW MY BROTHER CAN BE,” Papyrus said. And if Papyrus said it, you knew it was true. Papyrus was many things (GREAT, COOL, POPULAR) but a liar wasn’t one of them.

“Well shoot, I guess your story checks out. Sans’ word is one thing, but Papyrus’ word is as good as gold. I guess I owe you girls an apology.” Undyne admitted.

“IT’S OK, OFFICER UNDYNE. YOU WERE JUST DOING YOUR JOB. IF I WAS IN THE POLICE FORCE, I WOULD DO THE SAME THING!” Poppy said, earning an appraising look from Undyne. 

“Is that a line of work you’re interested in?” Undyne asked.

“OH! IT IS INDEED ONE OF THE SEVERAL LINES OF WORK I’M INTERESTED IN. I ALSO WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT, A DIPLOMAT, OR MAYBE A LANDSCAPER.” Poppy declared her dreams proudly. 

“You’re Passionate! Just like a certain tall skeleton I know. I like that! I’m not busy right now, in fact, I’m bored out of my mind. I don’t know much about politics or astrophysics, but I do know a thing or two about landscaping and a crap ton about police work! Sam’s gonna be training with magic. What do you say you ‘n me do some police training?!” Undyne offered.

Poppy looked torn. On the one hand, law enforcement was one thing she really wanted to do when she grew up. On the other, the reason she was there was to watch Sam and make sure she stayed out of trouble. Papyrus seemed to know exactly what was going through her mind, because he said, “GO AHEAD AND DO SOME TRAINING WITH UNDYNE! SHE’S A GREAT TEACHER! I WILL WATCH OVER THESE TWO.”

Poppy’s eyes lit up and she ran up to Undyne and saluted, “POPPY ARIAL BLACK, REPORTING FOR TRAINING, OFFICER UNDYNE, M’AM!” 

Undyne liked that. There was something really refreshing about such sincere enthusiasm. She hadn’t really seen that since the royal guard disbanded and Papyrus became co-ambassador with Frisk. “At ease, Poppy. Let’s start easy. 5 laps around the park! Let's GO!” Undyne ordered.

“YES M’AM!” Poppy said enthusiastically. And they were off.  
***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The perimeter of the park is about 2 miles.


	6. The Bonehead’s Guide for Teaching Magic to Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of explaining about how magic works.

Papyrus gazed after Poppy and Undyne wistfully. Sans knew he missed training like that. Sans decided to distract him. “hey, bro? if you want, you can help me teach Sam.” Sans suggested. That cheered Papyrus up right away. He loved imparting wisdom on young minds. 

“VERY WELL, SANS! THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT IDEA!”

“now, i have to admit, i wasn’t quite sure how to approach this since no human’s ever asked me to teach ‘em magic before. and human magic works a little bit differently from monster magic. so i took a page from my brother’s book and went to the library and snagged this bad boy,” Sans said, holding up a book called “The Bonehead’s Guide for Teaching Magic to Humans.” Papyrus seemed mildly impressed at his efforts and nodded with approval. It seemed like a very appropriate book for the occasion. 

“so, it says here, ‘the first step is to unlock your SOUL. this will allow magic to flow through your body.’ huh. interesting. you see, monster bodies are made mostly of magic, so we have magic flowing through us constantly. i guess humans don’t need that though since they are more solid. ‘WARNING, humans bodies are not designed to have magic outside the SOUL for long periods of time. their magical energy will leak out all over the place. this will drain them and they could pass out or DIE if left untreated. however, once they lock their SOUL back up, their magic energy will replenish with time. it is best to start slow and learn your limits. symptoms of low magic in humans include dizziness, lightheadedness, muscle weakness, nausea and rapid, and shallow breathing.’ well, crap. for such a strong species, humans are incredibly fragile. you uh...still wanna do this, Sam?” 

Sam nodded, a bit pale in the face. “i have to learn how to use magic now more than ever. better to gain control in a safe environment than panic and use more magic accidentally and end up fainting.”

“good point. ok, so...i don’t know how to explain ‘unlocking your SOUL,’ since, you know monster SOULs are usually unlocked all the time. the book says it’s just something you feel? when you decide you want to use magic? uh...try to replicate the feeling you had when you used magic for the first time,” sans suggested.

“hmmm, i think i need an idea of some magic to perform. something basic and obvious,” Sam said.

“I KNOW! TRY CREATING SOMETHING BASED ON YOUR ELEMENT,” Papyrus said.

“element?” Sam asked, “what do you mean by that?”

Sans was relieved. Now, this was something he could explain! “ok, so each person has different types of magic they excel at based on what kind of body and SOUL they have. for example, all skeletons are good at creating bullets that look like bones. that comes from our body type. from there, your SOUL type, or personality, will further shape the magic you use. together, they make the kind of magic that comes most naturally to you: your element,” Sans explained.

“how do i know what my element is?” Sam asked.

“element-ary, my dear Sam,” Sans paused for effect.

Sam smiled at the pun and said, “har har.” 

“OH MY GOSH!” Papyrus said and put his face in his hands with embarrassment. 

“heh. well, obviously, you’re a human. humans are known for their creative use of tools. therefore, the magic they use tends to take the shape of tools they find familiar. as for SOUL type, when humans use magic, their eyes glow the color of their SOUL. that makes it easy. i managed to catch a glimpse of your eyes earlier, so i already know: your SOUL is light blue patience. though, to be honest, i coulda guessed it based on your behavior. you are a very patient teenager,” Sans complimented. ‘not to mention, that’s my SOUL type and you’re practically just like me,’ Sans thought. 

“huh, thanks, i guess. i haven't thought of that,” Sam said thoughtfully. “so what are patient people good at?” Sam asked.

“waiting at a doctor’s office” Sans joked, but Papyrus glared daggers at him so he continued, “but also timing. like how you froze time and got outta Red’s way. not only that, but you should also be good at making light blue bullets. they will force your opponent to stand still and wait for your bullet to pass,” Sans explained.

“huh, ok. i think i get it. but i can still do magic outside of my element, right?” Sam asked.

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus said. “MY SOUL TYPE IS ORANGE OR ‘BRAVERY.’ THE OPPOSITE OF PATIENCE. ORANGE MAGIC FORCES PEOPLE TO GET UP AND MOVE THEIR BODIES! BUT I CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF BY MAKING LIGHT BLUE BULLETS. YOU CAN USE JUST ABOUT ANY MAGIC YOU SET YOUR MIND TO, BUT DIFFERENT MAGIC WILL REQUIRE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF EFFORT ON YOUR PART,” Papyrus explained. “I THINK I SHALL DO A DEMONSTRATION. WHAT DO YOU THINK, SANS?” Papyrus asked.

Sans nodded. That was probably the best way to learn. “yeah. show Sam your technique. i think that will help her see what you mean,” Sans said.

“ALRIGHT, COME OVER HERE AND FACE ME, SAM,” Papyrus instructed.

“uh, ok,” Sam said, then did as she was told. She was a little nervous to be starting so soon.

“WE ARE GOING TO SIMULATE A ‘FIGHT’ SCENARIO. WHEN YOU SEE LIGHT BLUE BULLETS, STAY STILL. WHEN YOU SEE ORANGE BULLETS, MOVE THROUGH THEM.”

Sam felt oddly exposed like her SOUL was out in the open. She gulped, but stood at the ready, waiting for Papyrus to make his move. The first bone-shaped bullet was light blue and very large so that it was hard to avoid. She held perfectly still. It sent chills up her spine as it passed, but did no harm. The next one was orange, so she ran through it. It was warm, like taking out hot cookies with oven mitts on. She could feel the danger, but since she took the right precautions, nothing happened. 

“YES! GOOD! SINCE WE’RE HERE, WHY DON’T YOU TRY SOME MAGIC ON ME?”  
Papyrus suggested. 

Sam’s heart skipped a beat, “n-now?! a-are you sure?!!” Sam said. If she was nervous before, it was nothing compared to now. Her heart pounded against her ribcage.

“OF COURSE I’M SURE, BUT IF *YOU* AREN’T SURE, YOU CAN START BY ‘CHECKING MY STATS.’ THIS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR OPPONENT BETTER. IT’S A LOW-LEVEL OBSERVATION SPELL THAT REQUIRES SO LITTLE MAGIC THAT EVEN HUMANS WHO NORMALLY CAN’T USE MAGIC CAN DO IT. IT WORKS FOR THEM BECAUSE SMALL BITS OF MAGIC ARE ALWAYS IN THE AIR; JUST ENOUGH FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. BUT I THINK USING EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF MAGIC WITHOUT UNLOCKING YOUR SOUL WILL HELP YOU GET THE FEEL FOR IT,” Papyrus said.

“ok, i’ll give it a try,” she said. She tried to concentrate on Papyrus’ ‘stats,’ but nothing was happening.

Sans shook his head. He could tell where she was going wrong. “you’re thinking about it too hard. magic is something you feel. you weren’t thinking when you froze time, were ya?” Sans said.

No, she wasn’t. It was more of an instinct. She cleared her head and just thought ‘i wanna know his stats.’ she felt her thoughts ripple through the air and touch the surrounding magic. The magic responded to her thoughts, fetched Papyrus’ stats and told them to her. ‘Papyrus- Attack 20, Defence 20, He reminds you of Poppy in almost every way.’ The truth of the statement caused Sam to blush a little.

“NYEH HEH HEH! IT WORKED DIDN’T IT?!” Papyrus guessed.

“um...yeah. i think so...what does attack 20 and defense 20 even *mean* though?” Sam asked.

“I...I’M NOT REALLY SURE,” Papyrus pondered. “BUT AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, HIGHER STATS MEAN A MORE DANGEROUS OPPONENT. WHEN A MONSTER DOESN’T WANT TO FIGHT, THEIR STATS ACTUALLY BECOME LOWER. THAT’S A GOOD WAY TO KNOW WHEN IT’S SAFE TO STOP THE FIGHT.” Papyrus explained.

“i see,” Sam said.

“NOW, TO GET BACK TO YOUR TURN, I WILL CHECK YOUR STATS,” Papyrus said. He did so and he seemed a bit impressed, “YOU HAVE FAIRLY GOOD STATS, FOR A HUMAN. I WAS WORRIED THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE POOR STATS LIKE MY BROTHER SINCE YOU TWO ARE SO SIMILAR. I AM GLAD THAT IT IS ONE THING YOU TWO DON’T HAVE IN COMMON,” Papyrus nodded with approval.

Sam looked over at Sans, wondering how bad his stats were. He met her gaze, smiling sheepishly. “hey, don’t worry about me. i learned to deal with it long ago,” he said. Sam nodded and refocused on the lesson. Sans’ health was a topic for another time. It was her turn.

“OK, NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING. VISUALISE YOUR TOOL, CALL IT, AND SEE IF YOU CAN COLOR IT LIGHT BLUE,” Papyrus instructed.

He made it sound so simple, but Sam didn’t even know what her tool was supposed to *be!* She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. ‘Tool...tool…’ she searched herself. The image of her umbrella came to mind. She thought it was odd, and yet the more she thought about it, the less odd it felt. She loved the simple Chinese invention. She loved playing in the rain, even now that she was a teenager. There was nothing quite like running around, umbrella in hand, listing to the rain pitter patter overhead. It could also make a decent magic bullet. It could shoot at someone quickly like a spear while it was closed, then open up at random times and catch them off guard.

She felt her SOUL unlock as she focused on her idea. She felt a bit of a rush as magic flowed through her, begging to be used. She closed her eyes and focused on the image in her mind. ‘Make some umbrellas...make them blue....fill them with patience,’ she thought. She opened her eyes and four blue umbrellas danced in front of her, each about a foot tall. They seemed to be waiting for instructions. Wordlessly, she sent them after Papyrus, making them circle around and open and close. It was more work than it looked. As Papyrus stood perfectly still, she let them disappear one by one. Sweat trickled down her brow. She locked her SOUL back up.

“VERY GOOD, FOR A FIRST TRY. LET’S TAKE A BREAK AND TALK ABOUT IT A BIT,” Papyrus said.

Sam nodded and they both sat down cross-legged in the grass next to Sans, who seemed fairly impressed. “pretty clever strategy, kid. if you made one of the three white or only one blue, then that type of thing could really trip up a person, especially the way you spun them around like that,” Sans praised her.

Papyrus nodded in agreement, “VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF MAGIC BATTLES. IT IS EASY TO DODGE BULLETS OF THE SAME COLOR, BUT IF YOU THROW SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN, IT CAUSES YOUR OPPONENT TO THINK.”

Sam reached into her bag and jotted some notes down about what she had learned so far. “Yes...that makes sense,” she muttered, already devising new strategies based on her bullets.

“it’s pretty cool that you chose umbrellas. do you like the rain?” Sans asked. Sans loved it. Real rain was so much more *varied* than the pseudo rain in the underground. There, it was constant and unchanging. Here, it was unpredictable: cold and hard, warm and soft. It came in sort little five-minute bursts or poured for several hours, or steadily on and off for days at a time.

Sam nodded smiling. Without looking up from her notes she said, “yes. i find the sound of rain very pleasant.”

“WOW, SHE REALLY *IS* JUST LIKE YOU SANS,” Papyrus appraised. “AS FOR ME, IT’S NOT MY THING. I PREFER WARM, SUNNY DAYS,” he said.

Sam smirked a little thinking of how Poppy curled up in blankets whenever there was a storm. She *hated* thunder and lightning. She wondered if Papyrus was the same way. “anyway...i think i got the jist of magic. do you guys want to practice more, or do you think i’m ready for that teleportation formula?” Sam asked hopefully.

“nice try kiddo. you’re advancing fast, but not *that* fast. we’re going to practice a bit more. i want to see if that strategy you’ve been scribbling in your notebook holds up in a *real* battle,” Sans said.

Sam blushed. She didn’t think what she had been doing was *that* obvious. “alright,’ she agreed patiently. After all, she also wanted to try her strategy. She got up and was surprised that Sans did so as well.

“don’t be so surprised, sis,” Sans said, reading her face. “i might not look like much, but i’m great at strategy and control, and that’s what i need you to learn before we even *think* about teleportation. you’re doing pretty good, but one thing i noticed is that you’re using too much energy at once. Papyrus is a great teacher, but not for this subject. he’s full of energy but he also uses more than he means when he gets enthusiastic. i, on the other hand, have very little energy but i can make it stretch pretty far. teleportation can take a lot of energy if you’re not careful. but if you do it right, it can cost very little,” Sans explained.

Sam nodded, thoughtfully. “ok, that makes sense,” she said.

“ok, we’re going to fight like it’s a real battle, in real time. but don’t worry, my bullets only take one hp. we’ll stop if it becomes too much,” Sans said.

“but what if i hit you?” Sam asked, a bit nervous.

“don’t worry about that. you know that time freeze thing you did when you first discovered your magic? i do that and simply sidestep. because of my low hp, i had to get good at *something* and i chose that. now i can do it every turn. you already did it once so you’ll probably be able to do it just as frequently as me in no time,” Sans said.

“hmm, i see...alright! here goes nothing!” Sam said.  
***


	7. knowing your limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam practices magic with the easiest opponent.

Sam sent her umbrellas one after the other toward Sans. Like the brothers suggested, she made some blue and left others white. She sent them spinning in different directions, but no matter how creative she got with the patterns, of course, he just dodged at the last second. Even though she knew what he was doing, it was still a bit frustrating to see all her bullets completely miss. Then on his turn, he showed her how complicated patterns could *really* be. Without really thinking, she slowed down time and dodged most of his bullets. at the last second time sped up to normal and she tripped on a small white bone. it stung a little but really did only take 1 hp.

“what happened?” she asked, frustrated. She rubbed her sore shin. It was a little red where the bullet hit.

“hmm, it looked like you did very good to me. i actually didn’t expect you to dodge so well...let me guess...you tried to stop time like last time but you only slowed it down, but you couldn’t hold it as long as you thought and when time moved forward, you were caught off guard,” Sans said.

Sam thought about it, then nodded, “yeah, i wasn’t exactly *trying* to do that, but that’s what happened. i think the reason it didn’t work as good was because i’m a bit more tired than i was before,” she said.

Sans said, “uh huh. thought so. it just means you are using more energy than you need to. you’re too excited and jittery, worried that you’ll mess up. and that’s the very thing that trips you up. you need to stay loose and calm. we’ll keep going until you either get it or one of us is too tired to continue. if you get it before that happens, then i’ll give you the formula. if not, then we continue tomorrow,” Sans said.

Sam smiled. This was a good training plan. If she got it right away, great. But if she didn’t, that was fine because she would just learn more the next day. “ok, that sounds fair,” she said.

The lesson continued, getting more and more complicated as time went on. Sam got hit a few more times and she was wearing down a bit by the time Undyne and Poppy showed up red-faced and sweaty. But she paid no attention to them, she was focused in a world with only her, Sans, umbrellas and bones. She was getting better, she *felt* it. Sometimes she would stop time altogether, but she could only hold it a little.   
***  
She was a fast learner, as Sans expected. Her patterns were quickly becoming very complicated indeed. And she was getting closer to really stopping time with every new round. But he could practically see her energy slip away into the atmosphere. And he remembered what the book said about humans running out of energy. He didn’t want to risk going much further. He decided to check her stats. As he feared, her MP was very low. time to quit...for now. he was kinda sad, she was sooo close. “ok Sam. time for a break,” he said.

“what, tired already?” she smirked a little.

“*i* can go a few more rounds, but i think you ought to wipe that smirk off your face and check your stats,” Sans said.

Sam frowned, but did as she was told. “oh...wow, yeah...i didn’t even realize...ok,” she said. As eager as she was to learn, Sans was glad to know she had the sense when enough was enough.

“that’s another important lesson: to know your limits and when to quit. you say you didn’t realize that your MP was so low. that worries me the most. monsters have a sorta natural sense of where their MP is at. i guess it makes sense that it’s harder for humans like you to feel since your bodies aren’t made of magic. i want you to remember this feeling; drill it into your skull. it is very important for you not to pass your limit,” Sans said. She held her head down. He hoped she didn’t take his criticism too harshly. “but, hey! you got pretty far! you made a lot of progress just today, you should be proud,” he said. And he wasn’t just saying that to make her feel better, he meant it.

“I’ll say!” Undyne said with a huge grin on her face. “That was some amazing pattern work and dodging! With practice, who knows how amazing you’ll be!” she complimented. Sans knew that was a lot coming from her.

“YES! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! ALMOST LIKE A DANCE. YOU WERE INCREDIBLE, SIS!” Poppy praised.

“heh, really?” Sam said smiling a little.

“MOST DEFINITELY, SAM. WITH A LITTLE MORE POLISH, YOU COULD GO VERY FAR!” Papyrus said.

Sam beamed, “thanks guys. i might have a long way to go, but i think i’m getting a hang of it.” then she swayed a little like she was going to fall over. Sans paused time quickly, walked over, caught her and unpaused. When she realized what had happened, she looked at him, grinning sheepishly. “well, it’s a work in progress,” she said.

“yeah, but don’t work too hard kid,” Sans advised.

Sam nodded, “i know.” she pulled one of Cindy’s cinna buns out of her pocket and started munching it.

Sans smiled to himself. ‘yup, that’s my lil sis for ya! she’ll do fine,’ he thought fondly.  
***


End file.
